Description of Situation: Brief description of environment, subject area, type of activity, description and number of learners, etc.

This observation took place during Language Arts Enrichment, an extension to Language Arts in 6th grade. Ms. Kannaley taught a lesson on how mood can be affected by adding music.

Directions: When completing this summary form, please indicate strengths and areas for improvement. For greater detail, please consult the Conceptual Framework Reference Guide that describes the proficiencies in each outcome.

The beginning of the lesson started out reviewing what was taught yesterday (compound sentences). Ms. Kannaley gave students a homework assignment to practice writing compound sentences, and examples were provided, as well as the seven coordinating conjunctions to help.

Afterwards, the students really got into the lesson on mood and music. While music played, students had to quickly draw a picture of what the music made them think about, and then they saw a picture on the screen while listening to the same song. For this part, students had to write a sentence explaining the mood while incorporating the picture. Most of the songs were very serious while the pictures were lighthearted. This activity was a clever one that really made tone & mood click with everyone.

As always, all of the materials were very organized and ready to go prior to the lesson. Ms. Kannaley is flexible with her teaching. I accidentally played the wrong song for one of her pictures, and she was easily able to adjust what she needed to accommodate my mistake. All students were engaged and on-task during this lesson because it was interesting; however, it still got the point across of what she was trying to teach.

Collaborative Professional: (reflects on professional performance; uses effective oral and written communication; builds collaborative and respectful relationships; displays professional and ethical behavior) Ms. Kannaley continues to do a good job of reflecting on her performance. She genuinely cares that all students understand and are very comfortable sharing.